Bulgaria Automatically Detects Truck Overtaking. Cameras Are Already Operating

Truck drivers traveling through Bulgaria must pay close attention to overtaking bans. Since 1 July, the electronic toll collection system has been automatically detecting vehicles over 3.5 tonnes that enter the left lane on selected sections of the A1 and A2 motorways. The recorded data is forwarded to the police and may result in penalties.

Since 1 July, Bulgaria’s electronic road toll collection system has been used not only for toll enforcement but also for recording violations committed by heavy vehicles. The system targets cases where trucks with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes overtake on road sections where such manoeuvres are prohibited.
The new functionality is based on video cameras installed at control points. The devices automatically record situations in which a truck enters the left lane on a section covered by an overtaking ban. The system stores evidence including the date and time of the incident, location, vehicle registration number, and the speed at which the vehicle was travelling.

The collected data is to be transferred to the Bulgarian police, which will conduct further proceedings and impose penalties where applicable. This means that violations can be detected automatically, without the need for a direct roadside inspection. Initially, the system is operating on 15 motorway sections. Twelve of them are located on the A1 Trakia motorway in the regions of Stara Zagora, Pazardzhik and Yambol. A further three monitored sections are located on the A2 Hemus motorway in the Shumen region.
On all designated road sections, traffic signs prohibit overtaking by vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. For transport operators and drivers carrying out transport operations through Bulgaria, this means they must pay particular attention to road signs and lane discipline, especially on the A1 and A2 motorways.

In practice, the new solution may increase the effectiveness of enforcement on sections where truck overtaking bans have been introduced for safety and traffic-flow reasons. Bulgarian authorities will be able to identify offending vehicles more quickly, and footage from the cameras is intended to serve as the basis for further administrative proceedings or fines.